Every year, I try and pick a theme to the books I read. This year’s theme is “let someone pick the book for me and read it regardless”.
This has been working out grand…I am reading stuff I never would have picked on my own. Some books are awful, some are Great!
So at the bookstore, the lady suggested I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I never read this book in school, but I know some schools have it as a required read.
see, I get my books at the half price book store (that way if its a bomb, its no big deal). I also like to read people’s comments on the margins. I think it is very interesting to see what people feel about certain passages, etc.
but this book…
wow. she (the book’s previous owner) doesn’t strike me as being too sharp.
which brings me to this question:
what age or grade is this book generally assigned?
maybe I am being overly critcal and it turns out its a third grader or something.
nevertheless, it has made the book an amusing read.
When I taught High School :shudder: it was used in AP Language for 11th graders. It was later picked up by 11th grade Honors English. I don’t know if it was used in regular English.
It’s kinda like the big Huck Finn controversy. It’s a wonderful book, powerfully written. Everyone should read it - eventually. Readers must have a certain level of maturity before starting.
Let’s see… I was in Junior High when I read it, on my own… probably about 7th, 8th grade. I gave it to my stepdaughter for her 14th birthday. It wasn’t required reading at my school, but if I had to recommend it for an age group, I’d say 11th grade honors/AP sounds about right. It’s an incredible book, IMO.
Just out of curiosity, what kinds of comments are you coming across? The book strikes me as being relatively straight-forward.
Have you gotten to the ‘preach it’ part? It still cracks me up.
-BK
her comments (i know its a her cause her name is written on the cover) are of someone who comes off as being VERY young or niave.
exact comments are:
in regards to momma:
“why doesn’t she say I love you? she sounds mean!”
in regards to their neighbor
“oh, I don’t like him at all.”
in regards to Uncle willie:
“How can he stand up if he is paralized?”
(a paragraph above states that he was lamed as a child. nothing about paralized)
“why would the boys come looking for willie if he didn’t comit a crime? why does he have to hide?”
about the food:
“oh this sounds like something icky to eat”
“YUCK!”
“oh I hate liver. I am glad I don’t live here”
“there was chocolate back then?!”
in regards to the mom’s mom:
“how can she be white and black at the same time?”
in regards to Stamps,AK:
“wow, this town is really not nice. they are mean”
“how come they were mean to black people?”
I am sure you get the point.
there are like 3 or 4 comments PER page, with every other one: oh he’s mean!
I can understand her thinking about this stuff, but not having to write it down in the margin!
I am picturing her:
HUH! that period is so nice and round.
and then writing down:
"HUH! that period is so nice and round. "
the comments jsut seem kinda superfluous, is all.
so, why (WAIT FOR IT!)…
so, why does the caged bird sing?
(im outta here!)